Invitation to PCMT Conference
To honor the 100th anniversary of the founding of The Ohio State University School of Music, we are excited to invite you to a conference on Practitioner-Centered Music Theory: Concepts, Methods, Perspectives.
- When: Thursday–Saturday, October 9–11, 2025
- Where: Timashev Family Music Building, 1900 College Road, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
This conference will draw together scholars, practitioners, and scholar-practitioners across music theory, musicology, ethnomusicology, performance studies, music cognition, public music theory and related fields, who use interviews, (auto)ethnography, and other quantitative and qualitative methods to understand how musicians across a range of practices conceptualize what they do, in dialogue with or distinct from institutionalized music theories.
- The PCMT Conference will be held both in-person and virtually. Please note that not all sessions are able to be streamed for virtual attendees. We will do our best to broadcast featured speakers and other research presentations as we are able. We encourage you attend in person, if possible, to make the most out of the scheduled interactive workshops!
Featured Speakers
- Jason Rawls, assistant professor of Hip Hop, The Ohio State University
- Jonathan de Souza, associate professor of Music Theory, University of Western Ontario
- Leslie Tilley, associate professor of Music, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Meet the Featured Speakers below.
Program Committee
- Anna Gawboy, The Ohio State University, Chair
- Ryan Skinner, The Ohio State University
- Katie Graber, The Ohio State University
- David Heinsen, The Ohio State University
- Anabel Maler, The University of British Columbia
Hotel/travel information and the schedule of events will be provided soon.
Questions? Email Alex Sallade at sallade.5@osu.edu
Registration
Conference fee for in-person attendees is $20. Payment will be managed through our eStore site.
For graduate students and virtual attendees, this fee is waived.
Register to attend the PCMT Conference
This conference is made possible by the generous donation of Ohio State alumnus Roger Vogel and the Poland Lecture Fund.
Meet the Featured Speakers
Jason Rawls
Assistant Professor of Hip Hop, The Ohio State University
Jason Rawls is an avid educator with almost two decades of K–12 teaching experience and 10 years of Higher Education teaching experience.
Previously an associate professor of instruction at Ohio University, he has presented workshops on the music industry, hip hop education and beat making at several major universities around the country.
Jonathan De Souza
Associate Professor of Music Theory, University of Western Ontario
Jonathan De Souza is an Associate Professor of Music Theory. He is also the Director of Western’s Graduate Collaborative Specialization in Music Cognition. De Souza’s research combines music theory, psychology, and philosophy, and it examines both classical and popular repertoire. He is particularly interested in music, performance, and embodiment.
Leslie Tilley
Associate Professor of World Music, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Leslie Tilley, Associate Professor of Music at MIT, is a music analyst and ethnomusicologist whose research focuses on analytical approaches to non-canonic musics, with a particular interest in musical transformation. Tilley's work at once delves deeply into musical particulars and proposes broad-reaching analytical approaches and disciplinary interventions.
Meet the Featured Speakers
Jason Rawls
Assistant Professor of Hip Hop, The Ohio State University
Jason Rawls is an avid educator with almost two decades of K–12 teaching experience and 10 years of Higher Education teaching experience.
Previously an associate professor of instruction at Ohio University, he has presented workshops on the music industry, hip hop education and beat making at several major universities around the country.
Jonathan De Souza
Associate Professor of Music Theory, University of Western Ontario
Jonathan De Souza is an Associate Professor of Music Theory. He is also the Director of Western’s Graduate Collaborative Specialization in Music Cognition. De Souza’s research combines music theory, psychology, and philosophy, and it examines both classical and popular repertoire. He is particularly interested in music, performance, and embodiment.
Leslie Tilley
Associate Professor of World Music, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Leslie Tilley, Associate Professor of Music at MIT, is a music analyst and ethnomusicologist whose research focuses on analytical approaches to non-canonic musics, with a particular interest in musical transformation. Tilley's work at once delves deeply into musical particulars and proposes broad-reaching analytical approaches and disciplinary interventions.